By Mike LaBella
Staff Writer
May 20, 2008 12:15 am HAVERHILL — It's been 20 years since a student at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School has won the prestigious Walter J. Markham Award. Whittier senior Michael Young has brought honor to himself and his school by capturing the award and its $500 prize this year — beating out 25 other top vocational students from across the state. The award is given annually in memory of the former director of the Bureau for Vocational Education. "It was pretty cool to be chosen to write the essays," Young said of his nomination for the award and the writing he did to compete against the other students. "There were six questions related to my life and career decisions, and each required a full-page response." Young wrote about being encouraged by his mom to volunteer at a soup kitchen when he was 8 years old. "I ended up liking it because it really made a difference in people's lives," he said. "For some people, food is something they have to search for." Markham Award nominees were chosen by their guidance counselors. Young was selected as the overall winner based on his answers to six essay questions about his leadership and academic skills. "He's my best student," said Whittier electronics instructor Robert Makem. "His engineering skills are unbelievable." If all goes as planned, Young, an electronics/robotics major, will already have 19 college credits when he graduates later this month. He earned those credits through Whittier's Tech-Prep Program, an agreement with 22 colleges in New England that gives students credit for college-level work done in high school. A math whiz, Young scored a perfect 280 on his math MCAS in his sophomore year. He scored 244 in language arts. "It's just the way my brain works," he said. He joined SkillsUSA as a sophomore and became president of Whittier's chapter of the organization. It's where he discovered his interest in robots. "I love robots because they are electronic and mechanical," he said. Whittier musical director/producer Linda Urban said she was grateful to have Young also try something different as part of the cast of the school play "Footloose." "He is full of natural talent and has become one of the show's strongest actors, singers and dancers," she said. "My only regret is that he waited until his senior year to join in the fun of the Drama Club." ><p>
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Excerpt from Michael Young's award-winning essay "As a young kid, I experienced a lot of educational programming on television. It wasn't about learning to count and say words. It was what my dad was watching like the History Channel with "Modern Marvels" or the Discovery Channel with "Connections" or WGBH with "Scientific American Frontiers." Whatever it was, it made me think at a higher level than I thought I could. "My parents always shared what they learn, too. When my mom was in nursing school, she would come home and teach me all about blood pressure and strokes and yucky wounds. My dad would show me his CAD drawings and teach me to appreciate the mechanics of the universe around us. All this talk built the foundation for my ability to learn, and ultimately, the intelligence I possess today."
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Photos
Michael Young of Haverhill works on a project in the electronics lab at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. Young recently won the prestigious Walter J. Markham Award. Staff photo